Toiletries

I am a first time cruiser and wondering whether the cruise ship provides toiletries or i have to bring my own from home.

P.S i am cruising on board the diamond princess.

You will find hand soap and shampoo/conditioner in all cabins. In the upper end suite there will be some more things. You will also have towels. Box of tissue.

It really depends on your personal needs. All cruise lines provide soap, shampoo and conditioner, some also provide body/hand lotion. If you really don't care what you use and don't care what you smell like, what they provide will be fine. I've never used any of their products, other than the shampoo dispenser as hand soap. Until you get to the more expensive cruiselines, or into the suites on some other lines, what you get is lower end drugstore variety products.

Of course, I was a hairstylist for 15 years, color my hair and am very particular about what I use on my hair and skin. Keep in mind you will be in the sun and salt water, your hair will take a beating and need special care that week.

Also I believe many of the lines have gone to liquid soap and shampoo dispensers as opposed to bars/small bottles.

I always haul along my own stuff. I just never know what I am going to get when I travel. I don't take soap but other than that I bring mine.

I've been on six different cruiselines. They all have the amenity baskets or bowls in the bathrooms. These contain a variety of sample sized products provided by different companies. They will vary cruise to cruise. I've had soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, deodorant, mints, Rolaids. Remember that they are samples, so you might want to bring your own. Most showers now have the two dispensers on the shower wall...one with conditioning shampoo and the other with liquid soap.

I was surprised to find that the Carnival Miracle did not provide any hand soap for the sink. You could reach in the shower and use the body wash, but that wasn't very handy. I wished I had brought hand soap.

I like to bring along extra conditioner. "Conditioning shampoo" just doesn't do it for my thick hair.

I was surprised to find that the Carnival Miracle did not provide any hand soap for the sink. You could reach in the shower and use the body wash, but that wasn't very handy. I wished I had brought hand soap.

Probably an oversight. When I was on the Miracle, the cabin steward brought 3 little wrapped bars of soap every morning. Had you asked him, you probably would have gotten them right away.

I guess it could be an oversight one day, but you'd think after 7 days he'd notice. I didn't ask since there wasn't even a soap dish or anything, I assumed they didn't provide it. In general he wasn't the most organized steward though.